On May 5, 2026 the University of Washington (UW) hosted ‘Rising Southeast Asians (SEAs) Conference’. Lindbergh High School students, along with many others, attended. 

Rising SEAs Conference is an annual event hosted at UW, Seattle. It aims to promote post-secondary education for minority students, specifically Asian-American students. Presenting community and a sense of belonging is also a goal of the conference. 

This year’s conference was held in Alder Hall on West Campus. It started with a presentation about the benefits of attending UW, the requirements needed to register, and providing resources to apply. 

Rising SEAs featured many Southeast Asian student speakers, Jordan Nguyen being one. Nguyen shared his story about being the child of immigrants and the struggles that came with it. Afterwards, he introduced the Cultural Workshop, an activity where students shared stories and experiences from their culture and lives. Many expressed how they do not feel cultured enough and ‘white-washed’. In response, Nguyen states “you are the newest iteration of your culture.” 

The next event was a panel with seven students, sharing their background as first generation immigrants in university. They said they felt isolated and alienated growing up because of their ethnicity, and that UW had a welcoming environment that encouraged diversity. The speakers also gave advice and tips to students who planned on attending UW. 

The final event in Alder Hall was a Coconut Dance, a traditional Khmer dance and symbol. The dance was performed by UW’s Khmer Student Association (KSA). Traditional music accompanied the dance. A campus tour finished the field trip, attendees being split among the panel speakers.

The field trip was free to attend with the requirement of a form. Breakfast and lunch was provided. Christina Park, LHS’ college and career specialist, chaperoned the event for LHS and Hazen students. Look out for future field trips with emails from Park!